Donald Trump backs down, to sign new order to stop family separation of illegal immigrants

The Donald Trump administration has reportedly agreed on Wednesday to end the practice of forcibly separating children from immigrants crossing the border illegally into the United States.

President Donald Trump will sign the order on Wednesday, an administration official was quoted by Reuters.

The order will also give these families precedence when it comes to immigration proceedings, but it will not end the administration's so-called zero tolerance policy on illegal immigration, the official said.


The administration recently put into place a ``zero tolerance'' policy in which all unlawful border crossings are referred for prosecution _ a process that moves adults to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and sends many children to facilities run by the Department of Health and Human Services. Under the Obama administration, such families were usually referred for civil deportation proceedings, not requiring separation.

The policy had led to a spike in family separations in recent weeks, with more than 2,300 minors were separated from their families at the border from May 5 through June 9, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The action, according to people familiar with it, wouldn't end the zero tolerance policy, but would aim to keep families together while they are in custody and ask the Department of Defense to help house the detained families.

However, later sticking to a political stand on what has now become an emotive issue the President tweeted: "The Fake News is not mentioning the safety and security of our Country when talking about illegal immigration. Our immigration laws are the weakest and worst anywhere in the world, and the Dems will do anything not to change them & to obstruct-want open borders which means crime!”



He added: “It’s the Democrats fault, they won’t give us the votes needed to pass good immigration legislation. They want open borders, which breeds horrible crime. Republicans want security. But I am working on something - it never ends!”